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Sunday, July 23, 2006
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Susan Barnes-Gelt comes down in favor of revamping Denver's accounting systems in her column in today's Denver Post. From the opinion piece, "Denver's internal accounting and auditing functions are dangerously antiquated, and city Auditor Dennis Gallagher needs to wake up to that problem. The city's Financial Management Task Force - made up of business leaders and outside professionals in government finance - are deeply concerned about Denver's internal accounting and auditing...
"KPMG has audited the city for several years. Partner Ron Filliben pointed out several issues affecting the quality of Denver's financial reporting: It takes too long to close the city's books - 90 days compared to 14 to 30 days for companies under SEC supervision and 7 to 30 days for federal agencies; It takes Denver more than six months to complete the year-end audit, while SEC entities take 60 to 90 days and federal agencies 30 to 45 days; There are far too many post-closing/audit adjustments and internal control weaknesses...
"For example, the auditor is charged with all the general accounting responsibilities, i.e., the posting of debits and credits, issuing all vouchers, signing contracts, determining if a particular fund balance, contract and request for payment are in order. The auditor is also charged with auditing many of those very accounts or transactions. That is, the auditor verifies whether various financial systems are functioning correctly and legally, and whether appropriate bookkeeping protocols and other internal controls are in place. Denver's auditor has both pre-audit and post-audit functions. So who audits the auditor? There are solutions to these dilemmas. The most salient are emerging from the months of analysis of the Financial Management Task Force. This group of experienced public- and private-sector financial experts thinks Denver needs a chief financial officer in the executive branch...
"Currently, the big departments (safety, public works and general services) use different systems, making it difficult and time-consuming to convert the general ledger into a financial reporting package. This disparity also challenges accountability. The task force also determined that adequate resources must be devoted to accounting and financial reporting. The city has a dearth of certified public accountants, even though the charter gives the auditor authority to hire as many CPAs as necessary. Gallagher is resisting any effort to weaken the role of his office. The city charter authorizes him to act as the city's accountant. His pre- and post-audit functions are not articulated in the charter, nor is his authority to execute performance audits."
Category: Denver November 2006 Election
8:23:41 AM 
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Green Conservatives are being courted by the Democratic party, according to the Denver Post. From the article, "As more oil and gas wells spring up throughout the Rocky Mountain West, moderate Democrats are telling hunters and anglers worried about open space that they feel their pain. Hoping to capitalize on the frustration of outdoorsmen and women watching the mechanization of their playgrounds, Democrats are talking about responsible land policy that balances industrial and recreational needs. The approach has created some strange bedfellows. Sportsmen, traditionally leery of Democrats because of their pro gun-control stance, are coming to the table to talk about how to protect the land. And environmentalists, who in the past have demanded that all public land remain pristine, are softening enough to talk about responsible industrial land use. Democrats see this new group of disaffected hunters and mellowed greenies as one of the keys to electoral victory in the Rocky Mountain West."
Category: 2008 Presidential Election
8:10:02 AM
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Here's an intro to the Democratic Leadership Council Meetings being held this week in Denver, from the Denver Post. From the article, "Although the West is often thought of as rugged Republican territory, Western leaders and those who study the region say that belief is about as accurate as the Marlboro Man. 'The Interior West is more libertarian, more tolerant and has a 'leave me alone' attitude,' said Ryan Sager, author of 'The Elephant in the Room: Evangelicals, Libertarians and the Battle to Control the Republican Party.' While Republicans have clearly dominated the West in elections, their success has more to do with the GOP's ability to masterfully paint Democrats with a broad stroke than with core GOP values, Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer contends. He said Republicans cast Western Democrats in the same mold as the stereotype of East and West Coast Democrats: anti-gun, rabid environmentalists who want bigger federal government. Schweitzer, who won his 2004 race partly by vowing to preserve and expand access to public land for hunters and fishermen, said he made sure while campaigning that people knew he was a Western Democrat."
"Also helping Democrats appeal to Western voters, according to Sager, is the Republican Party's alliance with the religious right. That alliance is especially strong in the South, where social and moral issues often carry more weight. John C. Green of the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, a nonprofit research center, said the West is "much less religious" than the South, and religions there are more diverse. 'Evangelicals in the West tend to be open to a broader agenda. They are more concerned about the environment, human rights and social justice,' he said - which gives Democrats an opening in the political fence. But the challenge is formidable, especially considering President Bush won all eight Interior West states in 2004."
Category: 2008 Presidential Election
8:02:22 AM
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© Copyright 2006 John Orr.
Last update: 9/7/06; 3:25:20 PM.
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